Safe



April 1938. F. DAIQNINGER ET AL 2,115,415

SAFE

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 20, 1937 FIG. I.

5;} o I i!- 5:; 1: I}! 22 1: I l 1 :3 I E I O O INVENTORS Fr DANNINGER AND 1 E. \T. KASTENHOLZ C44: W/l/ ATTORNEYS A ril 26, 1938.

F. DANNINGER ET AL SAFE Filed Feb. 20,

1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS D F. DANNINGER E.J. KASTENHOLZ ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 26, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE Milwaukee, Wis,

assignors to The Bergs Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application February 20, 1937, Serial No. 126,867

1 Claim.

This invention appertains to safes or strongboxes, and more particularly to a novel device especially adaptable for use as a tabernacle for church altars, and is of the same general character as that shown in Patent No. 1,944,430, issued to Anton Hofer and Felix Danninger, January 23, 1934.

In the above-mentioned patent a key-operated shaft for a pair of doors is shown, and this shaft, through a spiral groove and pin connection, is given a longitudinal movement during the turning thereof by the key for operating certain doorlatching members. p

The use of double doors in said patent is rela tively expensive, but due to the weight of a single door, the same could not be advantageously used.

It is, therefore, one of theprimary objects of our present invention to provide novel means for utilizing a single door and for counter-balancing the weight of the door, whereby the door will be easy to operate, and undue strain will be eliminated from the door hinges.

Another salient object of our invention is to provide a novel mechanism operated from the main shaft for eifectively latching the door in its closed position, both from the top and bottom thereof, whereby unauthorized entrance into the tabernacle will be prevented.

A further important object of our invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive mechanism for latching a swinging door in a closed position from a key-controlled shaft.

With theseand other objects in view the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described, claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure l is a top plan view of our improved safe.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the safe.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the door in its open position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, detail sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the means for operatively connecting the keyoperated shaft with the latching mechanism.

Figure 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary, longitudinal sectional view through the operating shaft taken substantially on the line 5-6 of Figure 3, looking inthe direction of the arrows, showing the operative connection between said shaft and the door-latching mechanism.

Figure '7 is a detail section through the. shaft taken substantially on the line 11 of Figure 6, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is a detail section through the shaft taken on the line 88 of Figure '7, looking in the 7 direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A generally indicates our improved altar safe.

The safe includes abody Hi formed from steel or the like, and the same is of the identical type illustrated in the mentioned patent. Thus, the body In includes top and bottom walls ll and I2, and side and rear walls I3. The side and rear walls 13 can be formed from a single piece of metal, if so desired, and all of the walls are united by tie rods M, which extend through the top and bottom walls H and l2. 7 r

The front of the safe body It is left open so that access can be had to the interior of the body, and this open front is normally closed by an arcuate door l5, which conforms to the arcuate configuration of the body. The safe is adapted to be set into an altar and the door 15 can be of an ornamental character, if so desired. As illustrated, the top and'bottom walls can carry feet 5 for spacing the safe from the adjacent parts of the altar.

In accordance with our invention, the upperand lower edges of the door l5 have rigidly secured thereto inwardly extending top and bottom hinge leaves H and 18. These leaves I! and i8 lie in close parallel relation to the top and bottom walls of the safe, and the inner ends thereof are rotatably mounted on suitable stub shafts 19 carried by the top and bottom walls oi the safe. f

The bottom leaf I8 is provided with a sector gear 20, the purpose of which will be later set forth. 7 g

The upper leaf I! has rigidly secured thereto the rearwardly extending arm 2|, the outer end of which carries a Weight 22. This weight 22 functions to counterbalancethe weight of the door l5 and thereby reduce undue strain on the hinge leaves and the stub shafts [9.

In order to guide the door I5 during its opening and closing movement, the door has formed on or secured to its upper and lower edges,

' arcuate guide bars 23, which engage the top and bottom of the safe body when the door is swung V to its fully opened position.

The mechanism for operating the door 15 is the same as the mechanism for operating the pair of doorsillustrated in the patent referred to,

and thus we provide: an operating shaft 24 inposition, depending upon the path of rotation of said shaft.

The forward end of the shaft section 24 is provided with a screw thread or a spiral groove 29 into which is fitted a pin .(not shown) carried by a guide bracket and a bearing 39 on the lower wall of the body. Thus, on rotation of the shaft' section 24, the same will be moved inwardly and outwardly due tothe pin and slot connection.

In order to impart rotary movement to the shaft section 26 from the shaft section 25 without moving the shaft section 26 longitudinally, the inner end of-the shaft section 25 carries a cross-pin 3|, which is received in longitudinal slots 32 formed in the shaft section 26.

.A pin-and-tumbler lock 33 is provided for normally holding the shaft section 25 against move ment, and a key 34 is provided for operating the pins of the lock, so that upon insertion of the key into the shaft, the shaft can be rotated by the key. e V

As previously stated, the construction of the shaft and its lock is the same as that shown and described in the mentioned patent, and hence details of the lock and mounting of the shaft have not been fully illustrated.

ring section 38 turns with the shaft 24.

In accordance with our present inventioniwe provide a thrust collar 35 for the operating shaft, and this thrust collar is joined to the shaft section 25 by the cross-pin 3|. Hence, the thrust collar moves longitudinally with the shaft.

The thrust collar is preferably formedfrom independent ring sections 36, 31 and 38. The ring section 38 receives the pin 3|, and hence said The ring section 31 carries outwardly extending pins 39, whichare independent o-f the ring section38, and hence no turning movement is imparted to the ring section 31 or its pins 39. The ring sections' 36 and 38 lie on opposite sides of the ring section 31, and these ring sections constitute bearing members for engaging arms 39' and 49 of a swinging latch member 4!, which will be described in detail. 1

It is to be noted, however, that the armsf39 and not the latch member snugly engage the outer faces of the ring sections 36 and 38 of the collar and hold all of the ring sections in contact with one another against lost motion. These arms 39 and 49 can be provided with bearing ears 42 for engaging the adjacent ring sections.

Referring to the swinging latch 4|, the same preferably consists of inner and outer plates 43 and 44, whichare centrally apertured to form a the arms for "straddling the collar, and these plates atone end are pressed together and rigidly secured by rivets or the like. This end of the latch is rotatably mounted on a pivot pin 45 carried by a boss 46 on the bottom plate I2. The opposite end of the plate has formedthere on alatch hook 41 forengaging a keeper pin 48 carried by the hinge leaf I8 of the door l5.

door.

the shaft is turned in a counter-clockwise direction (see Figures 3 and 4), the door will be swung to an open position. However, prior to the turning movement of the shaft section 26 longitudinal movement is imparted to the shaft Hence, the colrotating movement of the shaft will open th When the key is turned in a reverse direction .the door will be moved to its closedposition, and

when the door reaches this closed position, the shaft section 25 will be slid forwardly carrying the collar 35 therewith and thereby moving the latch 4| to its hooked position with the pin 48. It is desirable to latch the door I5 from the top as well as the bottom, and hence we have provided a latching mechanism' 49 for the top of the door. This latching mechanism 49 is operated from and in synchronism with the oper-. ating' means for the latch 4| for the bottom of the door. I V K The latch .mechanism 49 for the top of the door includes a double-armed'latch lever 50 ro tatably mounted intermediate its ends on a pivot pin 5| carried by the top wall H ofthe safe body. The opposite ends ofthe latch lever 50 carry hooks 52 and 53 respectively, andthese hooks are adapted to engage a latch pin 54 on the top'hinge leaf i1 and a stop pin 55 on'the safe when the door I5. is in its closed position. 7

Pivotally' secured to the latch lever 50 at one f side of the pivot pin 5| is a connecting link 56, which extends longitudinallyof the safe. rear end ,of the link 561s pivotally connected 'to a crank lever 51 rigidly secured on a vertically disposed shaft '58 carried by suitable bearings,-

and this shaft 58 is arranged at the rear of the safe, and has rigidly connected to-its lower end a crank-arm 59. The crank-arm 59 has pivotally secured thereto a forwardly extending rod '69.

58, which will in turn rock the latch lever 5ii through the link lever 56. Upon forward sliding" .movement of the collar 35 the latch lever 58 V will be returned to its normal latched position.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that we have provided an exceptionally simple and durable mechanism for mounting a single door on a tabernaclesafe and for latching the door against unauthorized movement.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the'scope of our inclosing the door, key-actuated means for oper- V ating the shaft, said shaft including a section having rotatable. and longitudinal movement, a collar movable longitudinally with the shaft section including independent rings, one of which is non-rotatable relative to the shaft section, and another one of which isrotatably connected with the mentioned ring, top and bottom swinging latch levers, latch pins carried by the leaves, latch hooks on the latch levers for engaging the pins when the door is in its closed position, one of said latch levers having spaced arms straddling the collar, whereby upon longitudinal movement of the collar the latch will be actuated therewith, the other of said latch levers having a link pivotally connected therewith, a

rockably mounted vertical shaft secured thereto, said shaft having crank-arms secured thereto, an operating rod, means operatively connecting the link and the rod to the crank-arms, and means connecting the rod with the second-mentioned ring of the collar. I

FELIX DANNINGER. EDWARD J. KASTENHOLZ. 

